Tuition fee increase opposed

A CAMPAIGN to prevent a large hike in university tuition fees is gaining ground in Oldham with three Parliamentary candidates promising to oppose further rises if elected.

Oldham West and Royton Labour candidate Michael Meacher and Lib-Dem candidate Mark Alcock, along with Oldham East and Saddleworth Lib-Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins, have signed a pledge committing them to vote against any increase in fees in the next Parliament and to pressure the Government to introduce a “fairer” system of funding.
Tuition fees for students starting at many universities this September will already be £3,290 per year.

But student leaders fear that an official review into student funding will recommend lifting the cap on fees, which could lead to annual charges reaching £7,000 per year.

The National Union of Students’ (NUS) Vote for Students campaign, which has drawn up the candidates’ pledge, is calling on all students, parents and concerned members of the public to cast their vote on May 6 for a candidate who will “fight for a fairer education system” and oppose any increase in top-up fees.

According to the NUS, students represent nearly 15 per cent of the voting population, and in some constituencies could determine who wins and loses.

It cited a recent YouGov poll that found that 88 per cent of the public did not want the review to even consider increasing fees.

The Government’s review into student finance, which is being led by former BP boss Lord Browne, could lead to a new system of payments being introduced as early as September, 2011.

Both Labour and the Conservatives have refused to rule out raising the current £3,000 plus inflation cap on fees, and vice-chancellors have called for the power to charge undergraduates up to £7,000 a year.

NUS president Wes Streeting said a hike in tuition fees would be “spectacularly unpopular”.

He said: “Students and their families are simply not prepared to pay more for less.”